sleigh bed a bed resembling a sleigh, popular in the first half of the 1800s. It is characterized by a high, back-curving, scrolled headboard and footboard.
tester a canopy.
trundle bed a very low bed mounted on wheels and stored under a normal-size bed, popular from the 15th through the 19th centuries.
Tuscan bed from the Italian Renaissance period, an ornately-carved, four poster bed with a gilded headboard.
waterbed a modern, plastic bed filled with water, originating in the 1960s.
bureaus, cabinets, and chests
armoire a tall cupboard, wardrobe, or closetlike cabinet with doors and shelves for clothing, but also used in modern times as an entertainment center holding a television, stereo, DVD player, etc.
apothecary chest a low chest with several small drawers, once used to store medicines, but today employed to hold numerous small items.
ark a medieval chest with a rounded cover.
art cabinet a cabinet having a glass front and various display shelves or niches and sometimes mirrored backs for showing off small ornamental items, popular in Victorian times.
bachelor's chest a chest of drawers with a hinged leaf that doubled as a writing surface when opened, popular in the 18 th century.
blanket chest a small, boxlike chest for holding blankets or quilts. Sometimes called a hope chest.
bowfront any cabinet with a rounded or convex front.
breakfront a style of cabinet divided into three sections, with the middle section projecting slightly, popular in Chippendale case pieces.
buffet a cabinet having shelves and cupboards for dishes and silverware and other dining room items.
canterbury formerly a rack for holding music, now a magazine rack.
case furniture generic term for any furniture intended to hold or store something, such as a cabinet or bureau.
chest on chest a tall chest of drawers topped by a smaller chest of drawers.
chiffonier a tall and narrow chest with many drawers and often, a mirror.
coffer a medieval chest with a rounded top, made for transport.
commode a low chest with either doors or drawers, originating in the late 17th century.
dresser a chest of drawers for clothes, often having a mirror.
entertainment center an armoire-like cabinet with multiple compartments for a television, DVD player, CD player, and so on, and which may or may not have hinged doors.
etagere a freestanding, open cabinet with shelves, used to display knickknacks, curios, or other small items.
Guilford chest originating in the 17th century, a four-legged chest with a single drawer, usually painted with floral motifs.
Hadley chest originating in the late 17th century, a chest with four short legs and one or more drawers, usually paneled, carved, and stained, with floral and vine decorations.
highboy a tall chest of drawers on tall legs, often crowned with a pediment.
hope chest a small, boxlike chest, traditionally used by a young woman to accumulate and store blankets, linens, and/or clothing in anticipation of marriage.
hutch a chest or cabinet with drawers and cupboards.
lowboy a low chest or table with drawers and short legs.
pediment an arched crown on top of tall case furniture. The arch is often broken in the center and called a broken pediment.
plinth the base on which a chest with no legs sits.
pot cupboard a small cabinet originally designed to store a chamber pot, washbasin, and pitcher, from the 1700s through the 1800s.
pot table similar to the pot cupboard, a cylindrical cabinet, intended to hold a chamber pot, originating in the 1800s.
wardrobe a tall cabinet in which clothes may be hung, and underneath is usually attached a chest of drawers, now largely replaced by closets.
chairs and sofas
arm stump on an armchair, the vertical member that supports an armrest.
balloon chair a round-backed Hepplewhite chair, reminiscent of a balloon.
banquette a long, upholstered bench, most often used in a restaurant waiting area.
Barcelona chair a padded leather chair without arms, supported by an X-shaped frame.
barrel chair a semicircular, upholstered chair.
basket chair a wicker chair with a rounded and hooded back.
bergere a French-designed, fully upholstered armchair with a loose seat cushion and closed sides, originating in the 18th century.
Boston rocker originating in the 19th century, an American rocking chair with a spindle back and curved wooden seat, often painted or stenciled.
Brewster chair originating in the 17th century, a Jacobean-style chair constructed of turned wood and numerous spindles and sometimes having a rush seat.
butterfly chair a canvas sling chair on a metal frame.
cabriole sofa originating in the 18th century, a sofa having a rounded back that curves into its arms. It may or may not have curved cabriole legs.
camelback sofa a sofa originating in the 18th century, characterized by a large, rounded back, as that of a camel.
canape an upholstered settee.
caning woven rattan strips used in seats and seat backs.
captain's chair a Windsor chair with a low, curving back, popular in the 19 th century.
Carver chair similar to the Brewster chair but having fewer ornamental spindles. A straight-backed chair with every element constructed of turned wood except the seat, which was made of planks or rush, a Jacobean design of the 17th century.
chaise longue "long chair." An upholstered chair or sofa having a long extension for supporting the legs, as a recliner. Also spelled chaise lounge.
Chesterfield an overstuffed couch or sofa with upright, rolled arms and no exposed wood elements.
club chair modern name for a wing chair.
couch a sofa.
davenport a large, American-designed sofa, sometimes available as a sofa bed.
deck chair a folding, portable chair, used on cruise ships.
director's chair a collapsible canvas and wood chair on two X frames, made famous by movie directors and used for their portability.
divan an armless, backless, upholstered couch that can be used as a bed, originating in France in the mid 1800s.
dos-a-dos a seat or sofa in which sitters are seated back to back.
duchess a style of chaise longue of the 17th century, consisting of an upholstered chair and matching footstool or two upholstered chairs and matching footstools, each of which could be used separately or pushed together to form one long chaise longue. Also known as a duchesse brisee.
fainting couch see recamier.
fauteuil an upholstered chair with open arms.
fiddleback a chair back design that resembles the outline of a violin, used in Queen Anne-style chairs.
Hitchcock chair originating in the 19th century, a chair having turned front legs, a black finish, and a stencil design on the back.